Catholic aged care launches HIV aid to PNG

Published: 25 June 2007

A NSW Port Macquarie parish aged care centre has launched a project to
assist a HIV/AIDS program run by Port Moresby diocese as Religious
leaders meet in Perth today to explore ways they can be better
"neighbours" to their Pacific counterparts.

St
Agnes Parish Catholic Care of the Aged has announced that its nursing
managers and the TAFE NSW North Coast Institute Nursing, Aged Care,
Children's services have joined hands to assist Ametur House in East
Boroko Port Moresby and Veifa'a Health Care Facility and Training
School in Papua New Guinea.

The announcement follows a visit by
Archbishop John Ribat of Port Moresby to Port Macquarie yesterday where
he thanked locals for their initiative.

HIV/AIDS is an urgent
and increasing concern for the people of PNG where up until late 2005,
13,465 cases of the disease had been detected, project officials say.

Life expectancy in PNG is 56 years for females and 58 years for males.

Meanwhile,
more than 100 leaders of Australian religious institutes and societies
who are meeting this week says that civil unrest and the threat of
natural disasters in the Pacific are "more than enough reasons" for
Religious in Australia to explore ways in which they can be better
neighbours to their brothers and sisters in the Pacific nations.

The
2007 Catholic Religious Australia assembly will invite all participants
to explore what it means to be neighbours in this region, chair Fr Mark
Raper says.

"Catholic Religious in Australia will seek to learn
from the experiences of our brothers and sisters in the Pacific and
East Timor.

"Together, we will explore how relationships may be
enriched by strengthening the long-standing and extensive networks
among the Religious communities of these countries," he said.

"The
Catholic Church - often through the ministry of Religious - is a main
provider of health and education services in countries of the Pacific
and East Timor while our own society is enriched by the many people
from these countries now living in Australia."